Freezer Cooking Part 1

When I was pregnant with The Good Daughter, I wanted to have a large freezer stash of meals on hand for after she was born. The Good Husband worked 12 hour shifts then, and I wanted meals I could just throw together.

I made a list of meals and ingredients and went shopping after work when I was 37 weeks pregnant with the intention of cooking that entire weekend. I dropped about $300 at the store. The next day at a routine check-up - SURPRISE! - I had to go to the hospital and get induced the next day. Needless to say I didn't make one damn freezer meal.

So this pregnancy I vowed to not wait until 37 weeks pregnant before I got started and to actually make some meals. I collected recipes for a while and thankfully just after our freezer went tits up, and we found a new one at a yard sale, I got started.

I originally had a list of 15 meals I wanted to make with a variety of proteins and meals (breakfast, lunch dinner). I had the added task of trying to find meals that wouldn't be too heavy since it will be the middle of July once The Good Son is born. That last task proved to be the hardest. I also wanted a variety of meals - ones that could just be put in the slow cooker and some that could be thawed and baked.

But I split my shopping up into two big trips and after TGD went to bed, for one week, I made meals. Below is what I made in round one.

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Black Beans and Corn (double batch)

recipe adapted from Ring Around the Rosies 

Ingredients: 

6 chicken breasts

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 limes, juiced

2 cups cilantro

1 large bag of frozen organic corn

4 minced garlic cloves

1 finely chopped red onion

2 cans of organic black beans, rinsed

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons chipotle powder

salt/pepper to taste

Directions: 

~Divide all ingredients evenly and place in gallon freezer bags. Shake to combine.

Instructions for Container:

~Cook in a slow cooker on low 8 hours or high 4 hours, serve with tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, and/or cheese.

Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken (double batch)

recipe adapted from Mama and Baby Love 

Ingredients: 

3 medium unpeeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 large green pepper, cut into strips

1 large red pepper, cut into strips

2 zucchini, chopped

2 cups chopped onion

2 tablespoon flour

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

3 tablespoons sugar

1/4 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 tablespoon ground mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions: 

~Divide all ingredients evenly and place in gallon freezer bags. Shake to combine.

Instructions for Container:

~Cook in a slow cooker on low 8 hours or high 4 hours.

Barbacoa Beef, Cilantro Lime Rice and Corn salsa

recipes from Skinnytaste 

Barbacoa Beef

Ingredients: 

3 lbs beef eye of round or bottom round roast, all fat trimmed 

5 cloves garlic 

1/2 medium onion 

1/2 lime, juice 

2-4 chiptoles in adobo sauce (to taste) 

1 tbsp ground cumin 

1 tbsp ground oregano 

1/2 tsp ground cloves 

salt and pepper 

3 bay leaves 

1 tsp oil 

1 cup water

Directions:
~Place garlic, onion, lime juice, cumin, oregano, chiptoles, cloves in a blender and pulse on high until combined.

~Trim meat of fat and cut into 4 inch cubes. Place in freezer bag and add spice mixture and bay leaves.

Day of Cooking:

~Cook in a slow cooker on low for 8 hours. Once cooked and the meat is tender, remove the meat and place in a dish. Shred it with two forks. Remove bay leaf and add meat back to the crock pot. Cook on low for 20-30 minutes.

Chipotle's "Skinny" Cilantro Lime Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup extra long grain rice or basmati rice 

1/2 lime, juice of 

2 cups water 

1 tsp salt 

3 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro 

3 tsp vegetable oil

Directions:

~In a small heavy pot, add rice, water, 1 tsp oil and salt. Boil on high until most of the water evaporates. When the water just skims the top of the rice, reduce to low and cover about 15 minutes. Shut off flame and keep covered an additional 5 minute.

~In a medium bowl, combine chopped cilantro, lime juice, rice and remaining oil and toss until completely mixed. Allow rice to cool completely and add to freezer bag.

Day of Cooking:

~Place rice in large microwavable bowl, add 2-3 tablespoons water to rice. Microwave 2-3 minutes. Fluff with fork and repeat. Let stand 2 minutes, then fluff again.

Corn Salsa with Lime
Ingredients:  

4 cups frozen organic sweet corn

2 vine ripe tomatoes, diced 

1/2 red onion, diced 

1 scallion, diced 

1-2 jalapeños, seeded and diced

2 tbsp chopped cilantro 

1 1/2 limes, juice of 

chipotle chili powder, to taste 

salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions: 

~Combine all into a freezer bag.

Day of Cooking:

~Thaw in fridge. Serve with completely thawed.  

Honey Teriyaki Chicken

recipe adapted from Once A Month Mom

Ingredients:

4 pieces boneless, skinless, chicken breast

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoons onion powder

Directions:

~Combine all ingredients into a gallon freezer bag.

Day of Cooking:

~Thaw in fridge. Remove from marinade. Grill chicken until juices run clear. Or to cook in oven, place in a greased baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 350ºF uncovered 20-30 minutes. Uncover and bake 20-30 minutes longer or until juices run clear.

Breakfast Burritos (double batch)

recipe by The Good Wife

Ingredients:

10 large flour tortillas

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1/2 green onion, chopped

12 oz turkey sausage

10 eggs

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, any flavor

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

~Add oil to skillet and cook turkey sausage on medium high heat until cooked through. Add pepper and onion and cook until veggies are soft. Remove from skillet. Turn heat to low.

~In a medium bowl, whisk to combine eggs, heavy cream, salt and pepper. Add to skillet and scramble until almost set. Allow to cool completely. Add sausage and veggie mixture and stir to combine. Add 1-2 tablespoons in each tortillas and top with cheese. Roll and wrap in plastic wrap and foil.

Day of Cooking.

~Remove from wrapper. Wrap in a paper towel and microwave on high 60-90 or until hot.

Shrimp Scampi (double batch)

recipe from What's Cooking Chicago? 
Ingredients:
2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell 
3 tablespoons good olive oil 
2 tablespoons dry white wine 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 
4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves) 
1/4 cup minced shallots 
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves 
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves 
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 
1 extra-large egg yolk 
2/3 cup panko 

Directions:
~Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture. 

~In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined.

~Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Label and freeze.

Day of Cooking:
~Thaw in fridge. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

Blueberry Banana Yogurt Muffins

Now that I am pregnant, I am diabetic once again. My blood sugar numbers are always out of whack first thing in the morning, so I found a breakfast that was safe and stuck with it. But after 20+ plus weeks, I have grown tired of eating the same thing every single morning for breakfast.

So I decided to find something else I could eat that wouldn't be too sugary. I normally love a big bowl of cereal in the morning so that was out. I decided to try my hand at muffins. But healthy, diabetic friendly muffins. I created these blueberry banana yogurt muffins. They contain healthy, whole ingredients like oats and blueberry yogurt and banana.

I added some spices to give it a hint of warmth. The yogurt gave the muffins a slight tang but imparted a strong blueberry flavor. The muffin was dense and moist and with a small glass of milk and some turkey sausage is a great start to the morning. Way better than an English muffin and cream cheese.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 12 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/4 tablespoon ground nutmeg

1/4 tablespoon ground ginger

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups mashed, ripe banana

4 ozs blueberry greek yogurt, I used Chobani 

2 beaten eggs

1/4 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

oats

Directions:

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients thoroughly and set aside.

~In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients until well blended. Slowly mix in the dry mixture until well combined.

~Spray your muffin pans with nonstick spray. Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin cup 3/4 full and sprinkle with oats.

~Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

recipe by:The Good Wife

Pumpkin Donuts

I have a confession to make. 

The Good Husband didn't know I had a blog for about 2 years. I don't know why he never questioned all the food photo taking, but whatever. Then a coworker asked for a recipe of mine and I emailed her the link to this blog. Then in talking to TGH, told him how she loved the blog.

He had no idea what the hell she was talking about and spend the rest of the day reading this. The first thing he said when he saw me after work that night was that I curse too much on here.

I laughed and told him if only he heard me in the kitchen. Like when I made these donuts, the second stop on our pumpkin tour, and spilled the bag on flour all over the floor. *(&^%^$&;%!!!

The original recipe called for the donuts to be brushed with melted butter and rolled in cinnamon and sugar but I skipped that step, however, I have included it in the directions if you want to do it.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
Cinnamon and sugar, for rolling
1/2 cup butter, for dipping

Directions:
~Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

~In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix together the dry ingredients. Beat in the pumpkin, eggs, milk, and butter until well combined. Fill a large ziploc bag and snip off the end. Pipe into the donut pan. The batter will be thick.

~Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.  Cool on a wire rack.

~Melt the 1/2 cup of butter in a small dish and mix together cinnamon and sugar in a second dish for dipping. Dip the donuts in the butter and then the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

recipe modified from: here

Breakfast Taco

This is another dish I made quickly on a CSA pickup night, and everything minus the tortillas came from the farm that night. Shit, except the salt and pepper and milk and oil. But you get the idea.

Ever since I had the egg taco at the Farmer's Market downtown, I have been obsessively making them. For every meal. Even second breakfast.

Ingredients:
1 small onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 kale leaves, stems removed
1-2 tablespoons oil or butter
2-3 eggs, roughly one per person
splash of milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon goat or cream cheese, I used goat
1 small tomato, cubed
tortilla

Directions:
~In a large saute pan, over medium heat, saute onion, garlic and kale in butter or oil until soft.

~Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the pan and allow to set for 30 seconds. Push the cooked egg into the edge of the pan and allow the liquid eggs to run to the center. Repeat this step until the eggs are cooked. Stir in the cheese and allow to melt.

~Once the eggs are cooked, spoon into tortillas, top with tomato and serve warm.

recipe by:The Good Wife

Quiche

We eat a lot of eggs in The Good House. They are usually a quick and easy meal that will fill you up while still being healthy. For a while I have wanted to make quiche but I knew The Good Husband wouldn't eat it. So instead of making an entire quiche just for me and the kiddo, I decided to make mini quiches.

Then I tried to serve it to her. And she wasn't having any part in it at all.

"Come on baby, eat your eggs."

"Noooooo."

"Oh, you like eggs. This is just an egg pie. I promise."

"Nooooooooooooooooooooo" which implied, "bitch, I know these aren't eggs."


This is for a 9 inch quiche.

Ingredients:
Pastry for Single-Crust Pie (recipe to follow)
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 beaten eggs
1 cup half-and-half or light cream
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash ground nutmeg
1-1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
4-6 asparagus stalks, diced
1/2 cup diced, cooked ham
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions:
~Prepare Pastry for Single-Crust Pie. Line the unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy duty foil. Bake in a 450 degrees F oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes more or until pastry is set and dry. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

~Meanwhile, in a skillet cook onion in butter over medium heat until tender but not brown.

~In a medium mixing bowl stir together the eggs, half-and-half, milk, salt, and nutmeg. Stir in the onion, asparagus and ham. Toss together shredded cheese and flour. Add to egg mixture; mix well.

~Pour egg mixture into the hot, baked pastry shell. Bake in the 325 degrees F oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. If necessary, cover edge of crust with foil to prevent overbrowning. Let stand 10 minutes.

Pastry for Single-Crust Pie: In a medium bowl stir together -1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in 1/3 cup shortening until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cold water over part of the flour mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side of the bowl. Repeat moistening flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all is moistened (use 4 or 5 tablespoons total). Form dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten dough. Roll dough from center to edges into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. To transfer pastry, wrap it around the rolling pin. Unroll pastry into a 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into pie plate, being careful not to stretch pastry. Trim pastry to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold under extra pastry. Crimp edge as desired. Do not prick pastry. Bake as directed.

Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

I get random inspiration with turns into obsession for food. Pinterest does not help at all. I saw some pretty donuts pop up on there and I immediately knew I needed to make all kinds of donuts. I have a list at least 5 I want to try in my head.

Cake? Yeast? Baked? Fried? Filled?

Even though it is not traditional, I wanted to make baked donuts. It is somewhat healthier I figured. Also, I don't like messing with the fryer early in the morning. After a lot of googling, I found out that cake donuts are the best to bake. At least I didn't find any baked yeast donut recipe.

After learning that I need a donut pan AND getting a 50% off coupon at Micheal's, I decided that Father's Day would be the best day to eat donuts. I started with cinnamon sugar since that is The Good Husband's fav and they were a hit. The Good Daughter licked the sugar off two donuts.


The pan is really easy to use and once I put all the dough in a pastry bag instead of trying to spoon it into the molds, baking went super fast. I also mixed up the cinnamon and sugar in a bag and tossed the donuts in there. They came out with a hefty coating of the sweet stuff so I might try a different approach next time.

I modified the recipe from the pan and while it said it made 12, I was able to get 15 out of the batter.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour, sifted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:
~Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray pan with nonstick cooking spray.

~Sift together the dry ingredients. Whisk in milk, eggs, vanilla and butter and mix until just combined. Fill each donut cup until about 2/3 full, using a pastry bag if needed.

~Bake 7-9 minutes, or until the top of the donuts spring back when touched. Cool in pan for about 4-5 minutes before removing from pan.

~Meanwhile combine 1 cup sugar with 2 tablespoons cinnamon in a plastic bag and shake to combine. Dip donuts in 2 tablespoons of melted butter and drop in bag. Toss to coat. Serve warm.

recipe modified from: Wilton

Valentine's Day Breakfast

Like I said in my other post, this year was the first year that The Good Daughter gave a crap about Valentine's Day. I think it might have been something to do with the fact her Grammy gave her chocolate for the first time the day before and told her she would get more the next day.

So on Valentine's Day, she woke up to this:

I got her a little Bug 'Em from the Hallmark store and stuffed it with heart shaped sunglasses and barrets. I also made her a card, which Bug 'Em is holding, and a treat box with chocolate candies. (I didn't put a ribbon on this treat box and as a result, it keept opening up and spilling the candy.) She likes bugs for now and can say "bug" and I thought it was a cute little thing.

I also made heart cut outs of watermelon and cantaloupe. Then I made Xs and Os toast and a little double heart toast. TGD only wanted the candy, though. Go figure.

Bug is watching you

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

Now that we know how to make English Muffins, Holliandase, and how to poach an egg, it's time
for Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict!

I hate Canadian bacon, so while I make Eggs Benedict the traditional way for The Good Husband, I like mine with smoked salmon. Really any excuse I have to eat smoked salmon for breakfast I will use.

The richness of the butter, combined with the warm soft yolk of the poached egg and the soft butter texture of the smoked salmon, will have you in sensory overload.

Ingredients:
1 English Muffin, split and toasted
2 poached eggs
Holliandase to taste
6 oz smoked salmon

Directions:
~Top toasted English Muffin with smoked salmon, poached egg and cover with a generous portion of Holliandase. Serve immediately.

recipe by: The Good Wife

Blender Hollandaise

Since I bought a new full size food processor for my birthday, I decided one of the first things I should make was blender Hollandaise. Since I am still scared to make the real over the stove version, I thought this would be a nice introduction for me. And Eggs Benedict was something The Good Husband requested for dinner recently.

I checked out some blogs for a basic recipe and my trusty Joy of Cooking. Really all this sauce is, is butter, egg yolks and lemon juice. There didn't seem to be a consensus of the proper ratio of butter to egg. I saw everything from 4 egg yolks and 1 stick of butter to 3 egg yolks and 2 sticks of butter. So armed with the knowledge that I couldn't screw up the ingredients, I set out to use my new food processor for the first time.

While I didn't screw up the ratios, I think I could have made sure the butter was a little hotter before I added it to the processor. I added the butter while it was warm, not hot, to the processor and by the time I was finished adding all of it, the sauce had cooled considerably. That said, I probably took a gamble on having the yolks cooked enough, but I lived so it must have been ok.

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
1 stick buttered
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:
~In the bowl of a food processor or blender, add egg yolks, salt and pepper and blend for 2 minutes to combine.

~Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter until hot but not brown. With the food processor or blender still running, slowly pour butter into egg mixture until combined. Add the juice of one lemon and continue blending. If sauce is too thick add more lemon juice until desired consistency. Add cayenne pepper to taste and serve immediately.

recipe by: The Good Wife

Toad in a Hole

My good friend Annie made this breakfast recipe previously. She calls it Eggy Bread. Here at casa The Good Wife, we call it Toad in a Hole. I have no idea why we call it that but that's what they called it in V is for Vendetta. Look it up. Actually, don't. The movie was long and boring and even though stuff blows up, it didn't hold my attention.

Back to breakfast. The Good Daughter loves eggs for breakfast. I try not to give her too many eggs a week since I worry about the cholesterol, but she does eat them about twice a week. She also eats - and I use the term "eats" loosely since most of it ends up on the floor - a piece of toast each morning. So pressed for time one morning it dawned on me that I hadn't made this for her yet.

I toasted the cutout too and I sopped up most of the yolk and ate it before giving TGD the rest. Needless to say this fast and easy breakfast will now make a more routine appearance for breakfast.

I tried used to crack the egg and after it set, would flip the toast and cook the egg on the other side. However, I found that I cooked the egg too long that way and made the yolk almost solid. Since I like my egg yolk runny, I only cook the egg on one side now. If you prefer your egg more done, cook on both sides.

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 slice of bread
butter
salt and pepper

Directions:
~In a small skillet over medium low heat, melt a pat of butter, roughly 2 tablespoons.

~Using a medium biscuit cutter, cut a hole out of the slice of bread. Once the butter is melted, add bread and brown on each side for a few minutes. Once the bread is browned, crack egg directly into the pan, trying to keep the egg in the hole of the bread. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

~After the egg has cooked for a minute, using a small spatula, push the cooked egg white towards the yolk and allow the uncooked egg white to run into the pan in the hole. Continue to cook the egg by moving the egg white into the center of the bread and allowing the excess to run into the pan and cook until the egg is the desired doneness.

~Remove from heat and serve warm.

recipe by: The Good Wife

Blueberry Streusel French Toast

So I was wondering what I could do with all the blueberries I got from the Farmer's Market and this idea got stuck in my head. Blueberry Streusel French Toast. Doesn't that just sound wonderful?

I toyed with how to make this. I baked two slices while I pan fried the other two. I preferred the pan fried version since that required more butter, but I will include the baked version as well.

I will add The Good Baby loved this. She literally gave me a hug after every bite. It was too cute for words.

Ingredients:
1 loaf day old bread - brioche or challah works best
6 extra large eggs
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 cups blueberries
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Directions:
~To Bake - Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with butter or oil. Layer bread slices in overlapping rows. Whisk together eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg and pour slowly over bread. Make sure bread is submerged and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In saucepan melt butter; add brown sugar and nuts to combine. Remove plastic wrap from French toast and top with streusel topping. Bake 40 minutes. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

~To Pan Fry - Whisk together eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add bread, a slice at a time and allow bread to absorb custard mixture, turning once. Meanwhile, heat several tablespoons of butter in a pan over medium low heat. Combine melted butter, brown sugar and nuts in a small bowl; set aside. Remove bread from custard and allow excess to drain. Add the bread to the pan and top with the streusel mixture. Cook for 4-6 minutes on each side until the custard mixture is set. Top with blueberry sauce.

~To make blueberry sauce: Whisk together juice and cornstarch in saucepan. Add berries, sugar, and lemon juice and zest and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil about 5 minutes or until thickened. Serve over French toast.

recipe by: The Good Wife

Oatmeal Scones

As part of our St. Patrick's Day breakfast for dinner, I decided to make oatmeal scones. These were actually part of the St. Patty's Day Brunch Menu from Epicurious, so I have to credit them with the inspiration.


This was the second time I have made scones and honestly, I think I will make them more often since they are super quick and easy to make and they are great with coffee in the morning.

The oats gave the scones a soft, nutty flavor and a slightly crumbly texture. I served these with soft honey butter.

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar plus additional for sprinkling
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
Finely grated zest from 1 large navel orange
2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk plus additional for brushing

Directions:
~Preheat oven to 425ºF.

~Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt into a food processor, then add oats and pulse 15 times. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with small (pea-size) lumps, then transfer to a bowl.

~Stir together zest and buttermilk and add to oat mixture, stirring with a fork just until a dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead 6 times.

~Pat dough into a 1-inch-thick round, dusting surface with more flour if necessary. Cut out as many scones as possible with cutter, dipping it in flour before each cut, and transfer scones to a lightly buttered large baking sheet. Gather scraps into a ball, then pat into a round and cut out more scones in same manner.

~Brush tops of scones with buttermilk and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake in middle of oven until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes, and transfer to a rack.

~Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe from :Epicurious

Corned Beef Hash

There are some things I am weird about, foodwise. I can't eat foods with names I think are funny (Baba Ghanoush, succotash) and for the longest time I wouldn't eat corned beef because even when it was cooked, it was still pink. But I have since changed my ways after having a few Rebuens. So I was excited this year to actually make corned beef for the first time.

Now, I did cheat a bit and bought beef brisket that was already corned, so I just had to cook it, but I still added some extra pickling spices to the meat to make it extra flavorful. I mean, who are they kidding with the scant half tablespoon of spices that comes with the corned beef brisket?

Now, just because I like Rubens, doesn't mean I really wanted corned beef and cabbage. So I decided to make breakfast for dinner on St. Patrick's Day so we had corned beef hash.


The Good Husband really liked this hash and honestly, it was the first time I had made hash. Considering that TGH usually eats his fried eggs and 'taters together, I am not surprised he liked the meat in with it.

Ingredients:
1 pound russet potatoes
1 large onion, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons horseradish
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 pounds cooked corned beef, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
fried eggs as an accompaniment


Directions:
~Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Add potatoes to a large saucepan of boiling water and boil 6 minutes, or until just tender. Drain.

~In a large non-stick skillet cook onion and garlic in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is golden.

~Add bell pepper and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over mixture and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in broth, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce and simmer, stirring, 2 minutes. Add corned beef, potatoes, and salt and pepper to taste and cook over moderate heat, turning hash, until browned and crisp, about 15 minutes.

~Serve hash with fried eggs.

recipe from:Epicurious

Vanilla Cream of Wheat

There is nothing better than a nice warm bowl of cream of wheat on a cold winter morning. It's what us Yankees eat instead of grits. It is delicious and I can also feed it to The Good Baby, making my mornings easier.


Ingredients (for two servings):
2 cups of milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup cream of wheat
1 tablespoon butter
Cinnamon or nutmeg to taste

Directions:
~In a medium saucepan, combine milk, vanilla, salt and sugar. Bring to a low boil and slowly add cream of wheat.

~Reduce heat to simmer and stir until thickened. Add butter and stir to combine. Sprinkle with cinnamon and/or nutmeg and serve warm.

Rhubarb Scones

This past weekend was The Good Grandma's birthday. She is older than sliced bread, Band-Aids, women's right to vote, Frigidaire and Kleenex. It's true. She has a sign that lists all the things she is older than. It is amazing to think of it.

So as part of my birthday present to her I decided to make rhubarb scones. I know she likes strawberry rhubarb pie but my luck with pies is kinda iffy. So I thought I would make scones and strawberry honey butter so that when eaten together, it would taste like a strawberry rhubarb pie.


I had never had rhubarb before and scones on a few occasions so I was a little nervous about how these would turn out. But they were light and airy and sweet. Nothing like the rock hard scones I had in the past.

And TGG, bless her heart, kept calling them stones when people asked what she got for her birthday. Maybe I should be offended? I told her that she could call them biscuits and it would be ok.

I snagged this killer recipe from Bridget at The Way The Cookie Crumbles

Rhubarb Cream Scones (adapted from Gourmet via Smitten Kitchen)
Ingredients:
2½ cups (12 ounces) all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar (3.5 ounces) plus 3 tablespoons
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
2 cups diced rhubarb (¼-inch cubes), about 3 stalks
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:
~Preheat oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Adjust a baking rack to the middle position. In a small bowl, mix the rhubarb with 3 tablespoons sugar.

~In a food processor, pulse the flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt a few times, just to mix. Distribute the butter evenly over the dry ingredients and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer to a large bowl.

~Stir the rhubarb into the flour mixture. Lightly beat the egg, yolk, and cream together in a bowl (use the same one you used for the rhubarb), then add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until just combined.

~On a well-floured surface with floured hands, pat the dough into a 1-inch-thick round (about 8 inches in diameter). Using a 2-inch round cutter or rim of a glass dipped in flour, cut out as many rounds as possible, rerolling scraps as necessary. Arrange rounds about 1 inch apart on baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until pale golden. Transfer the scones to a cooling rack and let them cool slightly before serving.

Bagels

Anyone who has read my blog before knows how much I love bread. And how that it is the only thing I am craving now, I have to find more creative ways to satisfy my bread desire. This week, after seeing an episode of Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives, which featured Surrey's Café and Juice Bar, in New Orleans, I had a HUGE craving for bagels and lox.

Sadly the lox I can't have, but nothing can stop me from eating a dozen of these!

I found a bagel recipe in my Joy of Cooking cookbook. I did have some problems with the recipe though. The dough was just so dry that I had to add several tablespoons of water to get it to a smooth stage. I don't think it effected the overall texture or flavor but I was just a little disappointed that the dough wasn't perfect the first time. I also didn't roll the dough into a log and shape the bagel. I just rolled the dough into a ball and pushed my thumb through to make the hole. I think that is why my bagels have almost no hole.

When I ate all of these bagels, I decided to try again a few days later to see if maybe in a rush, I had just dumped all the flour in and that was why my dough was too dry. I slowly added the flour and when the dough looked stiff and could hold no more flour, I realized that I had almost one half cup of flour that I hadn't mixed in.

So while this recipe did produce a very tasty bagel, I might go with a different version next time.

Ingredients:
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp warm (105° to 115° F) water
1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar plus 1 1/2 teaspoon
1 Tbsp melted vegetable shortening
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 cup plus 3 to 3 1/2 cups bread flour

Directions:
~Combine in a large bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer and let stand until the yeast, dissolves (about 5 minutes), the water, yeast and 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar.

~Slowly stir in the shortening, 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar, salt and 1 cup flour.

~Slowly add the remaining flour and knead for about 10 minutes by hand or with the dough hook on low to medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic.

~Let rest, covered, 15 to 20 minutes.

~Punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope tapering the ends. Wet the ends to help seal and form into rings, stretching the top end over and around the bottom end and pinching them together underneath. Or alternately, roll each piece of dough into a ball. Stick your thumb through the ball to make a hole. Stretch the hole out about 2 inches. Let rise, covered, on a floured board about 15 minutes, until puffy.

~Preheat the oven to 425°F.

~Bring to a boil in a large pot:
4 quarts water
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

~Drop the rings 4 at a time into the boiling water. As the bagels surface, turn them over and cook about 45 seconds longer. Skim out and place on an ungreased baking sheet coated with cornmeal.

~Bake 20 to 25 minutes, turning after 15 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

recipe by: The Joy of Cooking

Cinnamon rolls

Nothing smells better than fresh baked cinnamon rolls.

But having never cooked them before, I didn't realise how long it actually takes before you can smell them. We decided to have The Good Grandmother over for breakfast on Sunday and being sick of the usual biscuits and gravy, eggs and 'taters, pancakes/waffles, I decided to make cinnamon rolls.

I found a recipe the night before and determined I would need about 2 hours to make them. No problem normally, since I can get up early if I want, but I have found that now that I am in my second trimester, getting out of bed in the morning is just so incredibly hard.

The recipe I used made 24 rolls. After TGG, The Good Husband and I had our fill, there was plenty to give to TGG to take home and for us to have the rest of the week as well.

I got a sloppy when cutting them (I used dental floss instead of thread) so some were thicker than others but the taste was perfect. I also used a powdered sugar icing when I think next time I will make a cream cheese frosting.

These babies were definitely worth getting up early for, but in the future, this will be one of the first things I teach my kids to make so I can wake up to the glorious smell in the morning.

Ingredients
4 to 4-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 recipe Powdered Sugar Icing

Directions
~In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine 2 cups of the flour and yeast. In a medium saucepan heat and stir milk, the 1/3 cup sugar, the 1/3 cup butter, and salt just until warm, about 120 to 130 degrees F. and butter almost melts. Add milk mixture to dry mixture along with eggs. Beat with an electric mixer or your stand mixer, on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed 3 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to mix in the remaining flour. If using your stand mixer, mix in the remaining flour on low speed

~Turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic, about 3 to 5 minutes.. Shape dough into a ball. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl; turn once to grease dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.

~Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Lightly grease two 9x1-1/2-inch round baking pans (I used a 15x11 pan).

~Roll each portion of the dough into a 12x8-inch rectangle. Brush the 3 tablespoons melted butter over dough. Combine the 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough. Roll up into a spiral, starting from a long side. Seal seam. Slice each roll into 12 equal pieces using thread or dental floss. Place in prepared pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double, about 30 minutes.

~Bake in 400 degree F oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden. Cool slightly. Drizzle with Powdered Sugar Icing.

Makes 24 rolls.

Powdered Sugar Icing: In mixing bowl combine 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk or orange juice. Stir in additional milk or juice, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it reaches drizzling consistency. Makes 1/2 cup.

recipe by: Better Homes and Gardens

Nutty Banana Bread

Of course the easiest thing to make with your brown bananas is banana bread. I love banana bread but when I normally make it, it is without the nuts, since nuts are something that I don't really keep on hand. So having a nutty banana bread is a real treat. I even add some toasted walnuts to the bread when I eat it. Yum.

And forget about that cooling completely jazz. I eat this baby warm, straight out of the oven. Oh heaven.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 cups mashed banana (5 medium)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil or melted butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
~Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 9x5x3 pan.

~In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

~In a medium bowl combine eggs, banana, sugar and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

~Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cover the loaf loosely in foil to prevent over browning during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

~Serve warm with butter and toasted nuts.

recipe by: Better Homes and Gardens

Sausage Pancake Sandwiches

Eggs and 'taters gets tiresome sometimes and pancakes are a good, easy solution to the eggs and 'taters blah. I normally like just pancakes covered in butter and syrup but every now and then I love a good sausage and pancake sandwich. I wish I could make some kind of lovely sausage pancake corndog like thing, but when I want breakfast I don't want to wait. Since I normally sleep in on Sunday, most of our breakfasts are technically bunch anyway, so the last thing I need is to fool around with some kind of pancake and sausage on a stick.

So in order to compromise between my desire to have breakfast on a stick and the hurried need to eat right away, I made sausage pancake sandwiches.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons cooking oil

Directions:
~In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

~In another bowl combine egg, buttermilk, vanilla extract and oil.

~Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy).

~To make a pancake, ladle 3 tablespoons of the batter into a hot, greased griddle or large skillet. Cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface of the pancake. Flip the pancake over and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.

To make the sandwiches:
~Layer one cooked sausage patty between two hot pancakes and top with a drizzle of syrup.

recipe modified from: Better Homes and Gardens

Eggs and 'Taters 2

I know I have eggs and 'taters already, but it is not the typical eggs and 'taters that The Good Husband eats. That version is a "low fat" version of this original recipe.

Cooking eggs and 'taters is really more about technique than anything else. It has taken me 6 years to finally master the 'taters so they are even in the same ballpark as The Good Grandma's 'taters. TGH was raised by TGG who made every single thing from scratch and also made eggs and 'taters better than anyone else.

You would think that frying 'taters wouldn't be all that hard, right? I mean you get those little "Southern Style Hash browns" or "Country Fries" when you go to any good diner (or after a night of drinking so heavily you will eat at Denny's). How hard can it be to cube and fry up some 'taters? Well, as it has taken me six years to finally get the 'taters how they should be, I can tell you that it is harder than it looks. Kinda like html code.

The trick to making 'taters the way TGH eats is to not really fry the 'taters. Seems odd, doesn't it? You mean you don't really fry your fried 'taters? Yes. Yes, I do.

See, I used to crank the heat up to high and wait for the cast iron skillet to get super hot and then I would fry those little suckers up until they were a deep golden brown and crunchy. But, alas, that was not the way TGH likes his eggs and 'taters. So after one weekend at TGG's I finally cracked the secret to good fried 'taters.

The trick is to keep the heat on medium and cover the skillet so that the 'taters sort of steam in the pan and only get slightly crunchy on the outside.

This is good for two reasons - 1.) It allows me to make the eggs in the same pan as soon as the 'taters are finished and 2.) I don't have to dirty up a different pan.

Before, when I would cook the 'taters on high, I couldn't cook the eggs in the same pan. If the heat is too high and you try to fry an egg, it will all bubble up and stick to the pan. You then can't flip the egg without breaking the yolk and ruining the whole dish.

But with cooking the 'taters on a lower heat and for a longer amount of time, you can just scoop out the 'taters and drop in the eggs.

So lesson learned on how to fry 'taters. Never did I think I would have to spend so much time perfecting something so easy as eggs and 'taters. But dish 1 out of 32,165,133,494 that TGG makes that I will have to learn to perfect.